FedBid Advisors
Mr. Dennis Fischer
Mr. Dennis Fischer is currently the Director for Government Innovation at Grant Thornton LLC, a leading international consulting firm. Mr. Fischer has served as the Commissioner of the General Services Administration’s Federal Technology Service (GSA FTS); as the Chief Financial Officer of GSA; as the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Finance and Deputy CFO of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and recently as the Vice President, Sales & Integration at VISA U.S.A. Mr. Fischer also has served in numerous government-wide management roles including positions with: the Government Information Technology Services Board, the Federal CFO Council, the General Accounting Office Governmental Auditing Standards Advisory Council, the Joint Financial Management Improvement Program (JFMIP) Steering Committee, and the Cost Accounting Standards Board.
Orlan Johnson, Esq.
Mr. Johnson is a Partner in the Business Department of Saul Ewing LLP. His practice focuses on general corporate matters, complex business transactions and federal and state regulatory issues in business and securities transactions, including proxy solicitations, bankruptcy reorganizations and equity and debt offerings. Prior to joining Saul Ewing, Mr. Johnson was Of Counsel at Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy, LLP where he served as co-head of its regulatory practice in the Washington, DC office. Previously, he served for nine years as a Staff Attorney and Branch Chief in the Division of Investment Management for the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. In this capacity, his primary responsibilities included advising the Commission on the regulation of exempt utility companies and utility companies registered under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935. In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Johnson is an adjunct professor of law at Howard University School of Law where he teaches Securities Regulation classes in connection with the fundamentals of federal and state securities laws. Mr. Johnson has received a number of awards, including the Salute to Black Leadership Award from the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland and the Regulatory Simplification Award from the SEC. He also serves with a number of organizations, including as a member of the Board of Directors at University of Maryland Medical System Corporation, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Regents for the University System of Maryland, and President of Prince George’s Community College Foundation Board.
Dr. Steven Kelman
Dr. Kelman is the Weatherhead Professor of Public Management at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Dr. Kelman is the author of many books and articles on the policymaking process and on improving the management of government organizations, with his latest book, Unleashing Change: A Study of Organizational Change in Government, published in June 2005 by the Brookings Institution Press. He is a frequent contributor to Federal Computer Week and currently serves as editor of the International Public Management Journal. From 1993 through 1997, Dr. Kelman served as Administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy in the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. During his tenure, he played a primary role in the Administration’s “reinventing government” effort, leading the Administration’s support for the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 and the Federal Acquisition Reform Act of 1995. In l996, he was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. In 2001, he received the Herbert Roback Memorial Award, the highest achievement award of the National Contract Management Association, and in 2003 he was elected as a Director of The Procurement Roundtable.
VADM (Ret) Justin Daniel “Dan” McCarthy
Mr. McCarthy is currently President of Silver Eagle Consulting, Inc. and serves as Adjunct Faculty and Corporate Advisory Board member at the University of Virginia’s Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. In 2007, Mr. McCarthy completed a highly decorated 38-year military career, culminating in the groundbreaking position of the first staff officer assigned to a Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (DCNO) position, overseeing Fleet Readiness and Logistics support. Previously, he headed the organization responsible for supply chain management in support of the U.S. Navy’s operating forces (Naval Supply Systems Command) and served as Chief Financial Officer and later Chief Operating Officer of the Defense Logistics Agency, responsible for the inventory management, warehousing, and disposal of a wide array of Defense Department supplies supporting all military Services. Mr. McCarthy has been three times recognized with the highest peacetime awards by the Departments of Defense and Navy. He has also been awarded the Chapel of Four Chaplains Legion of Honor Gold Medallion, an honor he shares with several U.S. Presidents; the Boy Scouts of America Silver Antelope Award; the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Distinguished Service Award; and the City of Honolulu Mahalo Award.
General (Ret) Thomas “Tom” Schwartz
Mr. Schwartz is currently chairman of the board of the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), a position he assumed in 2004, when MCEC was named Congressional Charity of the Year. He also serves as a Board Member and Senior Advisor at both Science and Engineering Services Inc. and McLane Advanced Technologies, a Board Member at International Battery, a Senior Advisor at Azbell Electronics, and a Consultant at both Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. In 2002, following a long and highly decorated military career, Mr. Schwartz retired from his post as Commander in Chief, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and US Forces Korea, a position he held from 1999. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff, Combined Field Army in Korea; Brigadier General and assistant division commander of the 2nd Infantry Division; Major General in command of Fort Carson and the 4th Infantry Division (Mechanized); Lieutenant General in command of Fort Hood and the III Corps; and Commanding General, US Army Forces Command. Mr. Schwartz has received many decorations and awards, including the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal. General Schwartz earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Duke University, a Master’s Degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.
RADM (Ret) Leonard “Lenn” Vincent
Mr. Vincent is the Industry Chair at the Defense Acquisition University (DAU). He uses his Defense and Industry experience, expertise and perspective to advise government and industry on matters relative to contracting and program management issues. When he retired from the U.S. Navy on August 1, 1999 at the rank of Rear Admiral, he was the Commandant, Defense Systems Management College (DSMC). Prior to leading DSMC, Mr. Vincent had served as the Logistics, Ordnance and Fleet Supply Officer for Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, where he established policy and coordinated logistics requirements to support supply chain operations in the Pacific Fleet and Indian Ocean. Mr. Vincent was the Commander of the Defense Contracts Management Command (now DCMA), and also served as the senior acquisition executive responsible for procurement policy within the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). A former Vice President at CACI International and American Management Systems, Mr. Vincent was responsible for working with senior Department of Defense and Industry leaders to build long-term business relationships and to help identify solutions to acquisition, logistics, and financial management challenges. He has served as President and is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Contract Management Association; he serves on the Board of Directors of the Navy League National Capital Council and NDIA Washington DC Chapter, the Board of Visitors of the Defense Acquisition University, and the Board of Directors Procurement Round Table. Mr. Vincent holds a Masters in Business Administration from George Washington University, is a Certified Navy Material and Acquisition Professional, and is DAWIA Level III certified in both Contracting and Logistics.
Hon. John J. Young Jr.
Mr. Young is currently the principal in JY Strategies, LLC, and a founding member of E6 Partners, LLC. He serves on the board of SRI International, the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, and the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. He is also a member of the Georgia Tech Aerospace Engineering School Advisory Committee. Mr. Young recently completed service as the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, overseeing $200 billion of DoD research, development, procurement, and logistics programs. In this position, he led an unprecedented Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Vehicle program, drove the use of competitive prototyping, completed a remarkable swap of shipbuilding workload, established new milestone procedures through the new DoD 5000 instruction, and defined and achieved a broad set of goals within the AT&L organization. He previously served as the Director of Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) and as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. His experience also includes 10 years as a senior staff member with the U.S. Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. During his Pentagon tenure, he was awarded the DoD, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Army Distinguished Civilian Service Awards, as well as the Department of the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award. Mr. Young is a Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has a Master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University and a Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Dr. David C. Wyld
Dr. Wyld currently serves as the Robert Maurin Professor of Management at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. He is the Director of the College of Business’ Strategic e-Commerce/e-Government Initiative, the Founding Editor of the International Journal of Managing Information Technology, and a frequent contributor to both academic journals and trade publications. He is also the Director of the Reverse Auction Research Center, covering trends in the e-procurement marketspace. He has established himself as one of the leading academic experts on emerging applications of technology in both the public and private sector. He has been an active consultant, a qualified expert witness, and an invited speaker on the strategic management of technology to both trade and academic audiences, as well as an invited panelist on technology issues on The Discovery Channel and other media outlets. In recognition of his research accomplishments, Dr. Wyld has been awarded Southeastern’s “President’s Award for Excellence in Research” and named a Rising Star in Government Information Technology by Federal Computer Week Magazine.